Jobs to go but plants will stay open

The two factories were left in a highly precarious position after the transfer of a £100 million salmon processing contract with Sainsbury’s to Marine Harvest’s new Rosyth-based plant earlier this year,

However, Young’s commenced a formal consultation process with employee representatives and has opted to follow an ‘Alternative Option’ plan, which was developed during the consultation process and involves retaining around 250 jobs.

Under the plan:

-              The company will keep the Spey Valley site at Grantown-on-Spey open, retaining the traditional smoking facilities at the site.

-              The Fraserburgh Watermill Road site will stay open with a reduced operation focused on hot and cold smoked Ready-to-Eat products.

-              Manufacture of other products will gradually be transferred to alternative Young’s sites in Scotland and England by May 2016. The phasing of this plan is subject to consultation with the company’s retail customers.

Pete Ward, Chief Executive of Young’s Seafood, said: “Following extensive review, consultation with employee representatives and engagement with all interested stakeholders, we are now confirming our Company’s decision to keep open our Fraserburgh Watermill Road and Grantown-on-Spey facilities…We recognise the importance of the Fraserburgh and Spey Valley factories to their local communities and we are moving forward with a plan that will retain jobs at both of the sites. This decision has not been taken lightly and we’d like to say thank you for your continued dedication and commitment to the site during this challenging time. We would also like to say thank you to all other stakeholders, organisations and agencies that have worked constructively with Young’s to develop our plan.”

Young’s will continue to consult with employee representatives on the exact number and phasing of redundancies and the majority of redundancies are likely to take place in early 2016. The company has agreed enhanced redundancy terms for those affected with employee representatives, including help with finding alternative work.